Pianist Bill O'Connell Plays The Hamptons Jazz Festival in 'LIVE IN MONTAUK'

Bill O'Connell has released 'Live in Montauk,' a new album live from the Hamptons Jazz Festival.

Montauk—the easternmost point of Long Island—has enjoyed a reputation as an idyllic land of the lotus and poppy but now is fully woven in to the Hamptons summer scene. The charms and views associated with that coastal existence served as a backdrop for the creation of this recording. Notable for a number of reasons—as the first live band date in a lengthy discography, and a first on-record meeting with drumming icon Billy Hart—this Bill O'Connell session stands out.

Recorded live at the Hamptons Jazz Fest, with an outfit of top-flight artists including saxophonist Craig Handy and bassist Santi Debriano, the performance was further heightened by the appearance of ebullient trumpeter Randy Brecker and the enthusiasm of attentive and engaged listeners. “Playing live brings out different things in each musician,” observes O'Connell. “So I was very happy to do this and I think it was a great night with everybody on their A-game.”
 

ADDITIONAL DATES:

July 10 - Solo piano concert, LTV Studios, Wainscott, NY, 

July 23- with drummer Rich Baratta, Jersey City 

July 25 -with Andrea Brachfeld Quartet in Asbury Park 

July 30 -with The Paul Bollenback Quartet in Montauk, NY (Hamptons Jazz Fest) August 10 - with Rich Baratta at the Hopper House in Nyack, NY 

August 11-12 - with Greg Abate at Small's  

August 13 - with Greg Abate at The Jazz Forum in Tarrytown, NY 

August 20 - Bill O'Connell Quartet w/ Billy Hart in Montauk,NY (Hampton's Jazz Fest) 

August 23 - with Andrea Brachfeld Quartet, Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, NYC.